Assistant Safeguarding Advisor - Bedford in Houghton Regis

Salary: Starting at GBP30,024 per annum rising to GBP32,061 per annum

Basis: Full time

Package: 37 hours per week, Flexitime scheme, Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), Holiday allowance of 25 days (plus public holidays) on joining.

Contractual Hours: 37

Region: Central

Job Category: Administration

Based at Bedford or Luton, with travel across the county. Bedfordshire Fire & Rescue Service (BFRS) is growing its safeguarding capability, and we are looking for a motivated and committed Assistant Safeguarding Adviser to join our Prevention (Safeguarding) Team. This is an exciting opportunity to play a vital role in protecting vulnerable adults and children across Bedfordshire, supporting our work to keep communities safe.

About the Role

You will work closely with the Safeguarding Advisor, helping to improve safeguarding practice across the Service. You will support the delivery of safeguarding training, coordinate safeguarding processes, contribute to data analysis, and engage with partner agencies including local authorities, police, health and other emergency services. You will also work collaboratively with our HR Business Partnering team, ensuring that safeguarding and HR processes align and that safeguarding considerations are fully integrated across the organisation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support the Safeguarding Advisor in delivering safeguarding objectives and priorities across Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and to support the HR team in ensuring HR and safeguarding policies and procedures are aligned.
• Assist in implementing safeguarding policies, procedures, and best practice guidance throughout the Service, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements.
• Ensure all safeguarding policies and procedures are cross-referenced with HR policies where appropriate to ensure statutory requirements are met.
• Act as the liaison between the safeguarding and HR team to ensure timely facilitation of case conferences and risk assessment meetings for employee relations cases where safeguarding concerns have been identified.
• Contribute to the delivery of safeguarding training and awareness sessions for staff and volunteers and maintain accurate training records to monitor compliance.
• Collect, analyse, and report safeguarding data and trends to inform decision-making and service improvement, preparing reports for internal and external stakeholders as directed by the Designated Safeguarding Lead and/or Safeguarding Advisor.
• Support engagement with partner agencies and multi-agency forums and represent the Service in meetings when delegated by the Safeguarding Advisor.
• Assist in managing safeguarding referrals and enquiries, ensuring timely and accurate documentation while maintaining confidentiality and adhering to data protection requirements.
• Assist in reviewing safeguarding processes and suggesting improvements, keeping up to date with safeguarding legislation and guidance to support the Safeguarding Advisor and wider safeguarding and HR teams.

About you

You will be passionate about safeguarding, confident in working with sensitive information, and able to remain resilient in challenging situations. You will have experience supporting vulnerable individuals and working with partner agencies, and you will bring strong communication and organisational skills to the role.

You will have:

• Level 2 or equivalent safeguarding training.
• An understanding of relevant adult and children safeguarding legislation.
• Full driving licence (manual or automatic) with no pending issues.
• Experience of record keeping alongside the analysis and evaluation data to support the writing of reports.
• Experience of presenting and coaching on safeguarding matters to appropriate audience levels.
• Experience of assessing thresholds for safeguarding referrals and being a support to a Safeguarding Advisor or Designated Safeguarding Lead.
• Able to exercise strict confidentiality in dealing with sensitive materials and situations acting with discretion and professionalism.
• Ability to converse at ease with members of the public, staff and volunteers and deliver confidential messages in accurate written and spoken English.
• Ability to work under pressure to monitor targets and projects, prioritising tasks and deadlines whilst working independently, and with others.
• Microsoft computer applications including Word, Excel and PowerPoint skills.

For more details about the key responsibilities and essential criteria required for the role, please see the attached job description and person specification.

Next steps

If this role is of interest, please visit our website for further information and to make a formal application. We ask that you include your full career history and reference your skills and experience in line with the job description and person specification within your application and supporting statement.

Closing date: Thursday 2 April 2026

The selection process will take place on Thursday 16 April 2026.

This is a public-facing role, and it is essential to have the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English.

This post will be exempt from the provisions of Section 4 (2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2023. Therefore, applicants are not entitled to withhold information about convictions which for other purposes are ‘spent’ under the provision of the Act.

The appointment will be made subject to satisfactory pre-employment clearances, including an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance at the level required for the role.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to safer recruitment, and to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of Adults, Children and Young People and all staff and volunteers are expected to share this commitment.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service is an equal opportunities employer that welcomes applications from all sections of the community. As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview to disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role. Reasonable adjustments are available throughout the recruitment process. As part of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, we encourage applications from those who have served, are serving, or are part of a military family. Your skills and experience are valued here.